Need Advice From A Hard Cord Audiophile

[DonRocks]

I don't know where to turn, so I figured, well, why not turn here? Our members are as smart as anyone, so why wouldn't we have someone amongst us who is a master audiophile?

Is there an audiophile in the house? Someone who is *really* proficient, someone who - if they didn't know "any answer to any question" .... is probably just one speed dial away from getting it answered for him. Now is not the time to be modest, so please wave your hand!

As a side note, I think it would be really nice if we could each list things that we're bonafide experts in (other than cuisine, or wine, or whatever) - we're an interesting group of people, and I'd love to make a directory of experts - maybe *that* is something I can offer to people with 100 posts, for example. There wouldn't be any charge for it; just the ultimate example of people stepping forward and helping out their friends. Anyway, those are my initial thoughts.

Audiophiles! Speak up and identify your mastery!

Cheers,

Rocks

[Waitman]

Not sure what you're looking for, but I recently dropped a boatload of money at Evolution Audio, right around the corner from the Tyson's Galleria, and they specialize in serious stuff and did very well by me. Come around and we'll take some of your Mozart on a high-decibel spin and knock back a little Hock, and you can see if they're someone who might could answer your inquiries.

[Fishinnards]

The world of audiophiles lies at the intersection of science, hype, and too much disposable income. I am a trained Audio engineer and work with other audio professionals. I can answer science based audio questions or find the answers from my colleagues.

[DonRocks]

Okay, I'm on the verge of dropping $400 for a pair of Sennheiser 600 Headphones at the urging of a professional musician who swears they will be "life-changing."

Apparently, they've discontinued production of the 600 series, and have began offering a $1,400 pair - the 800 series - which is reportedly not only 3.5 times the price, but of *inferior* quality.

My question(s):

1) Do I need any other equipment other than these headphones, or can I plug them right into my MacBook?

2) I have a pair of vintage 1985 Bose 901s, series V (with equalizer), that haven't been hooked up for 10 years. Unfortunately, my receiver (a pretty high-level Harmon-Kardon) and CD player (at the time, a top-of-the-line Denon) are from 1985 also. Given all this, what do I need to have a decent stereo system? I assume that even a low-level CD player with today's technology is superior than my Denon, but what about the receiver and the speakers? If I'm going to buy the headphones, should I even bother upgrading my room system? Do the Bose 901s have any residual value? I know *nothing* about this stuff, and haven't thought about it in over 25 years.

I want (and pretty much need) good sound quality, but absolutely don't need some $10,000 premium system.

3) What's the best way (within reason) to record from a grand piano? My Beethoven Opus 79 is getting pretty good.

[Fishinnards]

1) You are at the mercy of your computer's sound card. That is the weakest link in plugging into the headphone jack of your computer. You may want to invest in an external usb sound card (or firewire soundcard). In my experience the unbalanced headphone jack on a laptop will pickup unwanted noise and interference from the all the processing going on inside the laptop and can sometimes get hum from an ungrounded electrical source. Since your thinking about recording as well, some soundcards come with microphone preamps which you would need to plug a balanced XLR mic cable into your laptop. One example is the M-Box, but there are others. That being said, the internal mac soundcard is not terrible, so it will probably sound good with your new headphones.

What format is your music in? i.e. .mp3, wav, aiff, This will make a big difference if your listening from your computer, especially for classical music.

2) Hook up your old system, if it still sounds good then it's good. You may need to clean the contacts on the knobs and sliders. Wiggle and move them, if they crackle, they will need to be cleaned. Also, the paper cones on the speakers can decay over time, so take a look at them and make sure they are not turning to dust. You will hear (or not hear as the case may be) if they are bad, especially in the lower frequencies.

Hope this helps. I'll get some mic recommendations next week, the person I want to ask is on vacation.

[Bart]

Apparently, they've discontinued production of the 600 series, and have began offering a $1,400 pair - the 800 series - which is reportedly not only 3.5 times the price, but of *inferior* quality.

Have you tried to find the 400's on ebay or craigslist? Maybe the ick-factor of used head phones is too much for you, but sometimes you can get new but discontinued items on ebay.

[DonRocks]

Have you tried to find the 400's on ebay or craigslist? Maybe the ick-factor of used head phones is too much for you, but sometimes you can get new but discontinued items on ebay.

I just bit on the 600s.

Call me cynical, but I bought them on Amazon.com, and here is the sequence of events that occurred:

1) This page on Amazon said, in big, bold, green print, "Only 3 left In stock"

2) I bought them

3) The page then said, "Only 2 left in stock"

So it looks like I snuck in just before the bell.

4) About 20 minutes later, I went back to the page, and it said, "Only 3 left in stock."

If they were really almost gone, why would they go to so much trouble to tell you that? I've seen the same thing with hotels ("Only 2 rooms left at this rate."), airlines ("Only 3 tickets left at this price."), and a few other things.

This is total bullshit, right? I guess I didn't realize this until just now, but how could it be anything other than a sales tactic to pressure the buyer? I'm almost certain that the Amazon.com page said the same thing a week ago. Maybe "in stock" means "in the front part of the warehouse," and once they run out, the stockboy walks into the back where there's a stack of 5,000 of them, and brings 3 more out into the front.

"Going Out Of Business! 50%75% Off All Oriental Rugs!" And then in red: "Final Days!" How can so many carpet stores go out of business?! And what does it really mean?

[JPW]

You're neglecting the possibility that what you're seeing upon return are the locally cached version of the pages.

Just recently had that happen to me as I was waiting to find out my presentation slot at a conference. The "updated" agenda had me presenting on the wrong day and I was starting to schedule meetings for the time when I am actually presenting.